Many transit systems now use automatic fare ticket processing systems in which patron riders insert tickets into ticket transports that move the fare tickets past magnetic read heads, or similar processors, that verify the ticket and allow the passenger to pass onto a train or transit vehicle. In many of such systems, a fare ticket will be purchased having multiple rides stored as information on fare tickets. This can be in the form of multiple rides, in which a ticket is inserted into a ticket transport unit that removes one ride for one passage through the ticket transport mechanism, or the ticket may have a stored value from which the read mechanism in the ticket transport reads the stored value and then removes an appropriate sum from the stored value to cover the particular ride.
In such systems, the fare ticket normally passes into a ticket receiving housing in which the ticket is processed. After verification, the ticket is then returned to the transit patron, and the entry gate is opened for the passenger to pass through. If there is a malfunction in the ticket processing equipment, the ticket will remain in the housing and is not readily recoverable. The patron rider then has to contact a supervisor, if one is available, to open up the ticket housing and recover his ticket. Such malfunctions or jamming can occur because of the operation of the system, or because of loss of power, or for other reasons. Nonreturned fare tickets can also occur because of insufficient rides or stored value on the fare ticket. In any of these cases, the patron rider may not understand the reason why his ticket is being withheld.
Some transit systems believe that their riders feel very uncomfortable in placing large stored value or stored rides in fare tickets for future transit rides, then seeing the tickets go into the slot of a ticket transport from which the patron rider may not receive the ticket back even though the patron rider knows there is a large stored value in the ticket.
The rider having lost his ticket, then has to appeal to the transit supervisor. This is time consuming to the transit supervisor; that's assuming one is available. Thus, there is a need and a desire for a ticket processor in which the patron rider can observe fare tickets passing through the ticket transport, and with the patron rider having the ability to pull the ticket out of the transport, if there is a loss of power, or even if the rider thinks that things are not going well.
While ticket readers, such as wipe-readers, have been used in other systems; they are not usually applicable in automatic fare collection transit systems because of the patron rider can usually be expected to move the fare ticket through the reader or at a skewed angle to the readers or at varying speeds, oftentimes with jerks, and can be expected to pull the fare ticket out of the wipe-reader before it makes a complete pass through the wipe-reader slot. This also makes it difficult to provide both read, write, and verifying functions relative to the ticket, where for instance there is stored value or stored rides thereon. So, there is a need for an improvement in the processing of fare tickets in automatic fare collection ticket transport systems that meet the requirements of the transit system, as well as satisfying the long felt needs and desires of the patron riders.